The movement of the tongue, lips, and jaw to make speech sounds. Articulation is one part of the whole speech process that includes respiration, phonation, articulation, resonance, and prosody.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is the organization that certifies Speech-Language Pathologists in the United States. The annual ASHA convention is held every year in November in various locations around the country, featuring continuing education and an exhibit hall  for 10,000-14,000 attending speech pathologists, audiologists, and students.

The evaluation phase of therapy in which a speech therapist determines whether an impairment exists, the degree and nature of the impairment, and sets the direction for therapy, usually with a written report summarizing the findings. Assessments may include formal or standardized tests or may be informal, consisting of an interview or a variety of non-standardized tasks. Many assessments include a combination of formal and informal measures.

Any approach designed to support, enhance or supplement the communication of individuals who are not independent verbal communicators.

Any disorder that impairs communication. Communication disorders may affect speech (speech-sound disorder, articulation disorder), language (recessive/expressive language disorder), pragmatics (Autism), fluency (stuttering), literacy (dyslexia, agraphia, alexia),  or voice.

A meeting to discuss something or to get advice.

A set of cues arranged in an order from most helpful to least helpful.

An approach to clinical practice that values research and evidence of efficacy above tradition when making treatment decisions. Evidence exists along a hierarchy of strength, from clinical expertise and case studies to randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses.

The ability to share our thoughts, ideas, and feelings.

Smoothness with which sounds, syllables, words and phrases are joined together during oral language; lack of hesitations or repetitions in speaking.

Creates an opportunity for therapists, teachers, parents, school administrators, related services personnel, and students (when appropriate) to work together to improve educational results for children with disabilities.

The set of symbols to represent all the sounds in the world’s languages.

An early-developing social-communicative skill in which two people (usually a young child and an adult) use gestures and gaze to share attention with respect to interesting objects or events. This skill plays a critical role in social and language development. Impaired development of joint attention is a cardinal feature of children with Autism and thus, it is important to develop this skill in early intervention efforts.

The evaluation of the structure and function of the speech mechanism to assess whether the system is adequate for speech production. This examination typically includes assessment of

• Dental occlusion and specific tooth deviations;
• Structure of hard and soft palate (clefts, fistulas, bifid uvula); and
• Function (strength and range of motion) of the lips, jaw, tongue, and velum. 

The sounds that are distinct in a language. The word “cat” has 3 phonemes: k + æ + t. Phonemes can be written using the International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA.

The study of the sound system of a language, including pauses and stress. 

The social use of language, including tone of voice, taking turns in a conversation, providing context to a story, and using words appropriate to the audience or situation.

Understanding what others say.

The study of meaning in language; includes the relations between language, thought and behavior.

The pathology (science) of speech and language (less formally referred to as speech therapy). It falls under the communication sciences and disorders discipline, which also include the closely aligned—but separate—study of audiology.

Speech-language pathology is focused on a range of human communication and swallowing disorders affecting people of all ages.

The rules for combining words in a language. Syntax is often impaired in non-fluent aphasia.

A treatment that helps someone feel better, grow stronger, etc.; especially after an illness.